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NXT TakeOver: New Orleans
NXT TakeOver: New Orleans was a professional wrestling show and WWE Network event in the NXT TakeOver series that took place on April 7, 2018, at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. The event was produced by WWE for its NXT brand and was streamed live on the WWE Network. Event summary Ember Moon vs Shayna Baszler The sun finally set on Ember Moon’s hard-won reign as NXT Women’s Champion in New Orleans, leaving Shayna Baszler to hoist the prestigious title at the end of a grueling slugfest between two of NXT’s bitterest rivals. Baszler’s trek to the title was, in many ways, as arduous as Moon’s, though marked by a ferocity that the vanquished champion had largely managed to abstain from. Moon seemed to have learned her lesson, however, when their latest match began; she took the fight to Baszler almost immediately and even tried to lock in some submissions on the noted grappler. When The Queen of Spades answered in kind — a Kirifuda Clutch left Ember out on her feet — Moon used Baszler’s own secret weapon against her, administering the same excruciating elbow stomp Baszler had punished her with in the past. Baszler, however, would not be denied a second time. The Queen of Spades served as her own field medic, popping her shoulder joint back into place by charging the turnbuckle and setting out with the goal of Kirifuda Clutch or bust. Moon turned to her own ace in the hole — the Eclipse — twice, with wildly different results. The first attempt hit its mark, though it was outside the ring and therefore didn’t lead to a pinfall. The second one was thwarted in unprecedented fashion, as Baszler countered it into a Kirifuda Clutch that she modified by grabbing her own head to compensate for the injured arm. Moon, to her credit, did not go quietly into the goodnight, fighting to the very last breath in her lungs. She even made it close enough to the rope to tag it with her toe (not enough to break the hold) and attempted a last-ditch defensive pin (only good enough for a one-count) before she finally succumbed to the hold and lost consciousness, leaving Baszler to celebrate with longtime friends Ronda Rousey and Jessamyn Duke at ringside. When Ember finally came to, she was watching Baszler walk up the ramp with title in hand, proclaiming her supremacy to the world. With the display that had preceded it, it was a difficult boast to dispute. Andrade "Cien" Almas vs Aleister Black In one of the hardest-hitting NXT Championship Matches in recent memory, Aleister Black managed to wrest the title from devious brawler Andrade “Cien” Almas, though not before the champion and challenger beat each other black and blue over the course of 20 minutes in a battle that saw each Superstar empty the entirety of their proverbial bag of tricks. For Black, that was the blistering kicks and strikes — to say nothing of his otherworldly presence — he uses to clear the way for his ironclad Black Mass kick to the face. Standing opposite the same man he defeated in his NXT televised debut one year prior, Black picked up where he left off, raining punishment down upon the champion at every possible opportunity. All that El Ídolo could do was try to dodge Black Mass by hook or by crook, as Black’s multifaceted offense made him tough for the champion to pin down. This is not to say Almas was helpless in the contest — his targeting of Black’s arm to set up the Hammerlock DDT was expert — but it’s no secret that Almas’ business manager Zelina Vega has been the cornerstone upon which his reinvention and title reign were built. Her presence paid dividends in Almas’ matches against the likes of Drew McIntyre and Johnny Gargano in prior months, and it did so again in New Orleans. Vega interfered no less than four times in the title match: administering a pair of hurricanranas to Black that stopped him in his tracks, placing Almas’ foot on the ropes after the challenger landed Black Mass, and tying Black’s ankle up on the ropes — a maneuver that allowed the champion to place his opponent in the Tree of Woe and execute a massive double-stomp. Unfortunately for El Ídolo, Black slowly wised up to the champion’s game as the match went long. So when Vega went for her boldest interference yet — a crossbody off the top rope after Black kicked out of the Hammerlock DDT — the challenger simply ducked, leaving Almas to catch Vega in his arms, and spin unwittingly straight into the path of Black Mass. Three seconds later, Black was the winner; fittingly, he becomes the lucky 13th man to hold the NXT Championship. Now, the devil is finally off his back, and anyone wishing to enter the NXT promised land must first pass the cross-legged demon sitting at its gates. Johnny Gargano vs Tommaso Ciampa In an Unsanctioned Match that stripped away all the pomp and circumstances of a WWE main event — the house lights were dimmed, a Hold Harmless agreement was signed that indemnified the company, and referee Drake Wuertz’s only two responsibilities were to count a pinfall or record a submission — Johnny Gargano reclaimed his life and his livelihood by defeating Tommaso Ciampa, the teammate and friend who betrayed him 10 months ago and cost him a match in which Gargano had put his career on the line. Gargano’s long-brewing, emotional and ultimately epic payback doubled as his last-ditch effort to keep his childhood dream alive and compete in WWE, though in the beginning he seemed to particularly relish the idea of whaling on Ciampa as much as humanly possible. Ten months of waiting erupted in a wild-eyed fury from Gargano; his fanciest move in the early goings was a slingshot spear and a suicide dive, the rest were just fists and kicks that sent The Blackheart reeling. At one point, he fastballed Ciampa over the commentary table, leaving Mauro Ranalloand Percy Watson scrambling for cover while the NXT Universe chimed in with a “Mamma Mia!” chant. Ciampa, on the other hand, decided to embrace the ferocity that has come to define him over the last year or so. He exposed the concrete floor of the Smoothie King Center, nearly snapped the cover of the commentary table in two by dropping Gargano onto it, and nearly stomped his former partner into unconsciousness with a series of boots to the back of the head. In one of the match’s many symbolic moments, Ciampa stole the crutches from a fan with a knee brace and began to swing them wildly at Gargano in an effort to land the finishing blow. Johnny Wrestling ducked the crutches with surprising efficiency given how badly he’d been victimized at that point. He ended up turning Ciampa’s own ruthlessness against him by powerbombing The Sicilian Psychopath onto the exposed patch of concrete with a vile splat. (The NXT Universe chimed in once again, this time with a “You deserve it” chant.) Gargano also began to embrace the match’s lawlessness by exposing a turnbuckle, and it seemed, as the battle wore on, as though he might sacrifice his humanity in his pursuit of regaining his career. Ciampa remained one step ahead of him on that front. When a rope break could not stop the Gargano Escape, he gouged Johnny’s eyes instead. During a punch-off that ensued after the two found themselves attached to each other thanks to the tape on Ciampa’s wrist, Johnny began to roll and Ciampa answered with a Pat McAfee boot to the nether regions. Ciampa did employ some of his own maneuvers as well, particularly the powerbomb-lungblower combo that ended up causing more harm than good when he hit it off the top rope — the impact aggravated his surgically repaired knee so much that he had to remove the brace entirely. Of course, he turned that to his advantage as well, attempting to knee Gargano in the face with it. Johnny Wrestling was ready, whacking Ciampa with the discarded brace to stop him cold and snapping the fallen crutch in two. Gargano stalked toward his cowering partner with punishment on his mind, though the sight of Ciampa cowering and teary-eyed, his face swelling tighter by the second, seemed to sap Gargano of his ruthlessness. Johnny paused his attack and sat down next to his former partner, much in the same way they had done after their then-friendly contest during 2016’s Cruiserweight Classic. Quick as a flash, Ciampa swung the brace in Johnny’s direction and Gargano dodged it, wrapping his old partner first in the Gargano Escape and then a furious STF with the brace stretched across Ciampa’s face. The tapout was instantaneous. The reaction was jubilant. The arrival of Candice LeRae in her husband’s arms was emotional. And for Johnny Gargano, the future is his once again. Welcome home. Results * Singles match for the NXT Women's Championship: Shayna Baszler defeated Ember Moon © by submission * Singles match for the NXT Championship: Aleister Black defeated Andrade "Cien" Almas © (with Zelina Vega) Other on-screen talent * Pre-show panel: Charly Caruso Image gallery 025_NXT_04072018dg_2419--157e4e103c051c2290da86037092edbd.jpg 026_NXT_04072018dg_2213--5ddc6feb2a59a16c48d4d39ade60034b.jpg 027_NXT_04072018dg_2237--8a7d32c99ca3a48a4c88560c9371bdb5.jpg 028_NXT_04072018dg_2533--4fd169fd67f497feddc3fb1ce2cec9f8.jpg 029_NXT_04072018mm_1527--a7f9a5395de6f063ecb9a979f4f894c5.jpg 030_NXT_04072018dg_2554--20f99331a5cfbaab0a405ef09c894cbe.jpg 031_NXT_04072018dg_2557--c4f4ccdf0fe9ad7033f2040d9d5226c2.jpg 032_NXT_04072018dg_2575--f0c3d064c3eddce9d3dd6b6a41266f46.jpg 033_NXT_04072018dg_2594--eb8d82492ba5bf69e31032f401d23e76.jpg 034_NXT_04072018lms_2024--7b3f4a631ca475fee0c727c5c8322e42.jpg 035_NXT_04072018dg_2640--5b1ae8d29eaff8240a52b5618bdb93b2.jpg 036_NXT_04072018dg_2650--e44fcea4d29efebbae4d87457c6d5065.jpg 037_NXT_04072018dg_2668--10ef633fed9e18d0469d5ed3c0b5d5c5.jpg 038_NXT_04072018dg_2676--aff602eebd06600e66f7c99723a43fa7.jpg 039_NXT_04072018dg_2684--2943c076c62699b803ba9e37510131f9.jpg 040_NXT_04072018dg_2716--fb34eb4b35e915a02ad9d06be8a263cf.jpg 042_NXT_04072018dg_2748--1bdf900407d994b53bd0583f0d216b68.jpg 041_NXT_04072018dg_2733--00ceeda80f26c1fab9ee1ab19081e2f6.jpg 043_NXT_04072018dg_2756--1bebad60194103219c31527584eacc2f.jpg 044_NXT_04072018dg_2761--6948e309cfaaa3d3a7a3e10ae96f725d.jpg 045_NXT_04072018dg_2764--7c42036fd06e605b0181bd8552d29065.jpg 047_NXT_04072018dg_2804--ba0624b997bd080c305dfb81d1039caa.jpg 048_NXT_04072018dg_2823--3f16519c55b79457030040480e6cec5e.jpg 049_NXT_04072018dg_2892--8f155aeab27f5c4ad1a5cd2291e4bb7e.jpg 050_NXT_04072018mm_1713--c8527e6122d570bb04a03c269836eaaf.jpg Media Category:2018 NXT pay-per-view events Category:NXT special events Category:Candice LeRae Category:Charly Caruso Category:Ember Moon Category:Ronda Rousey Category:Shayna Baszler Category:Zelina Vega